Matthew
25:31-46
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
There is a popular expression of faith. Although it is
credited to Francis of Assisi, its origins are a bit unknown. Regardless, it
resonates with today’s Gospel text. It goes, “Proclaim the Gospel, and
when necessary use words.” I suppose it sounds similar to present day quips such as “you
can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk,” or “actions speak louder than
words.” Personally, I’m more fond of the former “proclaim the Gospel, and when
necessary use words.”
To be clear the intention of the expression is not to diminish
the use of words or dismiss the inherent oral nature of the gospel message, but
rather the intention is to highlight the interconnectedness of proclamation and
action. Word and deed. Theses two expressions of the Gospel go hand-in-hand,
inseparable present-day manifestations of the good news in Jesus Christ’s death
and resurrection.
Not as a choice, but as an embodiment of our discipleship. An instinct of our Christian nature. A stitch in the fabric that is the body of Christ DNA. Proclaiming the Gospel, and when necessary using words.
Today marks the end of our liturgical calendar. The end of
the church year. And so on this final Sunday of the church year, as we transition into Advent and new beginning we hear Jesus in
his final public teaching moment with the Disciples. It is perhaps the perfect bookend to his public teaching
ministry.
Recall that 20 chapters ago he began with the Beatitudes a world-turning, expectation-flipping
assessment on the kingdom of God, in which the meak, poor, lonely, and lost
inherit the Kingdom of God. He goes on for another 10 chapters talking about the Kingdom teaching in parables, and preaching to the
disciples and the crowds.
In chapter 16, after a decisive moment when Jesus asked Peter,
“who do you say that I am?” The text tells us “From that time on, Jesus began to show his
disciples that he must go to Jerusalem to be killed and raised.” From that time on he began to show.
It is not purely coincidence that Jesus spent his entire
ministry both proclaiming and showing in action the good news of the Kingdom of
God come near. I don’t think either that is is purely coincidence that
Matthew’s account of Jesus has him teaching for the last time about the
interconnectedness of word and deed. The humble, instinctive, and
intuitive nature of doing to the least of these as Jesus did.
In Matthew’s account of the Gospel, there are more than 50
references to the kingdom. The majority of which come from Jesus in
coordination with a healing, parable, miracle, or a teaching moment.
Central to Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew is the presence of the
Kingdom. A reign of God in Jesus Christ. The embodiment of love, mercy, and grace in Jesus Christ the
King.
When Christ cleanses a Leper, heals a hemorrhaging woman, and
restores site to the blind he proclaims the arrival of God’s kingdom in both
word and deed.
When Jesus sits to eat with a tax collector and associates with
despised members of society, Jesus proclaims the arrival of God’s kingdom in
both word and deed.
When Jesus feeds 5000 and 4000 on a hillside, breaks bread with
disciples, and offers living water to the woman at the well he proclaims the
arrival of God’s kingdom in both word and deed.
When Jesus advocates for the oppressed, teaches about wheat,
seeds, and yeast, and walks on water he is proclaiming the arrival of God’s
kingdom in word and deed.
The correlation between faithful proclamation and humble service
for Jesus, and for Matthew is no coincidence. And furthermore the presence of the Kingdom of God within both word and deed is no coincidence.
Now look brothers and sister I know that the word and deed
sermon isn’t likely a new concept. I’m sure many of us have heard the
talk the talk and walk the walk sermon. Most of us are familiar with this
text and its implications. Never-the-less, today’s text on this Reign of Christ Sunday is a
significant and intentional text for on the final Sunday in the church year. Beyond its familiarity, Jesus offers his disciples, the crowds, and us an important reminder of the nature of
the Kingdom of God.
‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I
was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to
drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me
clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited
me.’
Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when
was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you
something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed
you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in
prison and visited you?’
And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’
I invite you to hear today’s text and message not as conviction
but rather as a reminder, an affirmation of your participation in the kingdom.
To help, I offer two insights:
First, may we not get caught up on the “otherness”... wondering
who are the least of these. I think too often we subconsciously determine
who is the “the least of these.” This determination impacts our ability or willingness to act. We might identify the least among us by some set of unfair or unnecessary criteria. Limiting our care for neighbors and others by some condition of
“leastness”
Rather may our focus be on the action themselves, regardless of
the recipient. Perhaps Jesus’ teaching today is not so much about determining
who the least are, and who is need of care, but rather the acts of compassion
and care we carry out in the name of Jesus. The feeding through programs like UCOM and foodbanks, the
welcoming of family promise, the caring of our home-bound and shut-in members,
and the visiting of those in need of a familiar face or a safe smile. Acting in Jesus’ name as Thomas Merton says, “to love others,
the sick hungry, thirsty, stranger, oppressed, naked...without stooping to
inquire whether or not they are worthy.
Second, may we not get caught up simply on the actions
themselves. The works in Jesus’ name.
After all neither the sheep nor the goats in today’s teaching
realize that they have done anything good. “Lord when was it that we saw you
hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when
was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you
clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ The sheep and goats seem to share and ignorance
in their response. They are surprised by their fate.
So rather than focusing on the actions
themselves...to help or not to thelp, may today’s text be a reminder that
caring for others, regardless of worthiness is part of our very nature.
It’s intuitive to who and whose we are.
It comes naturally, perhaps subconsciously to
those who have been washed by God’s grace.
Like a good tree producing good fruit, it is the very nature of the
body of Christ to
proclaim the arrival of God’s kingdom in word and deed.
Brothers and sisters the good news this Christ
the king Sunday, is that Jesus Christ proclaimed
the kingdom of God come near, and
showed the world again and again the
goodness of God’s grace by
dining with sinners, forgiving aggressors, clothing
the naked, feeding the hungry, healing
the sick, grieving with the bereaved, dying
on a cross and rising again.
And friends may there be no better news than
the fact that through our baptism God has claimed us as children of God. Sheep in God’s flock. We are woven into the fabric of the body of
Christ and we are gifted each and every day with the gospel message of Jesus
the King. A king who reigns in the messiness of life. Who shines light in a dark world and guides our
paths. Jesus who is the center all that we say, and do
not because Jesus intrudes our life, but rather washed in the water we exude
the resurrected promise of everlasting life.
So as we transition into a new church year, a
new calendar year, a new church season...as we change the colors, decorations…The
hymns and texts.. May Christ always and forever remain at the
center…empowering us to do and say as Christ. To proclaim the gospel
message that Christ the King, Emmanuel and Messiah, Lord of Lords, mighty God, prince
of peace has begun his reign. Halleluiah.
© Pastor Daniel Locke Nov. 19, 2017 @ St. Mark's JAX
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